The present invention relates generally to an ignition and charging system for an internal combustion engine, and more particularly to a multiple pole radial air gap stator and flywheel assembly with ignition and regulator circuitry mounted to the stator and the flywheel having a plurality of openings extending therethrough.
The electrical system of a small internal combustion engine typically comprises an ignition system and a charging system. The ignition system is responsible for starting the engine. Whether the engine is started with a tug on a rewind rope or the turn of a key on an electric starter motor, the ignition system produces a spark inside the combustion chamber of the engine. As shown in FIG. 1, a prior art ignition system 10 generally includes a flywheel 12 with a plurality of magnets 14 mounted in the sidewall 16 of the flywheel, an ignition armature 18 mounted adjacent to the flywheel, at least one spark plug 20, and a spark plug cable 22 connecting the ignition armature to the spark plug. With each turn of the flywheel, the magnets mounted in the sidewall of the flywheel pass the ignition armature, creating a magnetic field and inducing a current in the armature to produce a high-voltage spark at the tip of the spark plug. The ignition system is coordinated with the timing of the piston and the motion of the valves so that the spark will ignite the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber just as the piston reaches the point of maximum compression in each engine cycle. Once the engine is running, the flywheel's inertia keeps the engine crankshaft spinning until the piston's next power stroke, while the flywheel magnets keep inducing a current in the armature to keeps the spark plug firing.
The charging system is responsible for keeping the battery charged for starting the engine and powering accessories. As shown in FIG. 2, a prior art charging system 24 generally includes an stator 26, a rectifier, a regulator, or combination rectifier/regulator 28, a battery 30, and wires 32 connecting the stator to the rectifier/regulator and wires 34 connecting the rectifier/regulator to the battery. The stator 26 includes a plurality of copper windings 36 wound around its poles 38 and is mounted under a flywheel with a plurality of magnets mounted in the sidewall of the flywheel. Rotation of the flywheel creates a magnetic field and induces a current in the copper windings of the stator. The rectifier converts AC power from the stator to DC power for charging the battery. The regulator maintains a steady voltage output. On some engines, the stator comprises an adjustable armature mounted outside of the flywheel that relies on the same magnets as the ignition armature to charge the battery. Limited amounts of current and DC voltage are produced, and a capacitor is used to handle fluctuations in the voltage output.
The present invention provides a complete ignition and charging system in one assembly that has many improvements and advantages over prior art systems.